Irrigation Innovators 

By Kris Polly

The Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology is a nonregulatory agency that provides information on geological and water resources to the state. Its work to quantify and assess groundwater resources brings it into contact with the irrigated agriculture industry, revealing the sometimes unexpected relationships between agriculture and other water users. For instance, leaky canal systems recharge aquifers, so making them more efficient can actually threaten the underground water resources other users depend on. We learn about all this and more from Ginette Abdo, the manager of the bureau’s Ground Water Investigation Program. 

This month, I also have the great pleasure of introducing to our readership Greg Morrison, the new executive vice president of the National Water Resources Association (NWRA). Mr. Morrison is an excellent addition to the NWRA team and brings with him extensive experience in western water, policy development, communications, congressional testimony, and more. The NWRA is the leading advocate for water rights, state water law primacy, and all other western water issues. I encourage all our readers to get involved in it. 

Next, we interview Jim Schmidt, a former North Dakota state legislator who has been heavily involved in water for nearly five decades. He recounts significant accomplishments related to regional water supply projects and explains how stakeholders are seeking to steward and beneficially use the waters of the Missouri River. 

This month, we also speak with a number of innovators in the irrigation realm. First, we talk to Trent Lewis, the founder and chief visionary officer of The PondMedics’ Family of Brands, about his new AquaInject solution, which won the $75,000 first-place prize in the Bureau of Reclamation’s recent Veg Out competition. AquaInject uses Internet of Things technology to remotely and automatically deliver precise doses of chemicals to a canal to control aquatic vegetation and keep the water running as intended.. 

Next up are Max Safai and Gary Conover of M8 Systems, a California company that provides customized automation irrigation solutions to farmers and municipal irrigators. Its combined hardware-and-software solution can collect data and monitor and control all sorts of meters, pumps, and valves. 

Then, we talk to Zack Fleishman, a cofounder and the CEO of Shark Wheel, the company that literally reinvented the wheel. Its ingenious airless wheel, inspired by the sine wave pattern, dramatically reduces rutting and even repairs existing ruts. Plus, it’s affordable and easy to fix. 

Beck’s is the largest family-owned retail seed company and the third-largest seed brand in the United States. We speak with Mark Morten about the company’s product offerings, its research capabilities, and the distinctive family ethos that makes the company unique. 

We interview Rob Baker of Montana-based S & S Machine, which builds, repairs, and fabricates all sorts of machinery, including large pumps owned by irrigation districts. 

To figure out what was going on underground, the Middle Republic Natural Resources District took to the air. Working with Aqua Geo Frameworks and the University of Nebraska– Lincoln, the district carried out helicopter-based airborne electromagnetic surveys to fill out its understanding of local groundwater resources. We speak with several individuals involved with this impressive effort. 

With continuous innovation and hardworking professionals, the future of western water is bright. This is even truer with an outstanding leader like Mr. Morrison at the NWRA. I hope you enjoy this month’s magazine. 

Kris Polly is the editor-in-chief of Irrigation Leader magazine and the president of Water Strategies LLC, a government relations firm he began in February 2009 for the purpose of representing and guiding water, power, and agricultural entities in their dealings with Congress, the Bureau of Reclamation, and other federal government agencies. He may be contacted at kris.polly@waterstrategies.com.